BEHEMOTH’s NERGAL On His Experience As A Judge On ‘The Voice’: They Thought I Was Satanist

Behemoth Nergal The Voice

In an interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the Riverside, California radio station 96.7 KCAL-FM program “Wired In The Empire,” BEHEMOTH leader Adam “Nergal” Darski discussed his experience of being one of the judges on the Polish edition of “The Voice” show back in 2011.

He said: “I got super, super confused and angry because – I was one of the juries, but they’d go, ‘This guy is a Satanist and we’re so Catholic and proper. He’s not allowed to be there.’

“But the contract was already signed so they couldn’t kick me out of the TV show. They decided to keep me, and then I won with my contestant [Damian Ukeje] – we won ‘The Voice,’ which is awesome.

“I would ask him to sign all these rock, heavy metal songs, which was a good change for TV. Not some cheesy pop songs, but METALLICA, NIRVANA, STEPPENWOLF, MAIDEN… good stuff, quality stuff. So I’m happy, it was a good experience.

“Then I got the check, which I really needed because that’s why I did that. I kept in mind, ‘Hey, you’re doing this for money, but don’t forget to rock ‘n’ roll.’ So I did rock ‘n’ roll and then I was, like, ‘Okay, bye, that’s it.’

“I’m not going back there, I’m not interested. I think I’m still not done with the movies. If there’s a theater play at some point when BEHEMOTH is not super busy – which is not likely happening anytime soon – but if there’s a gap, I’ll be, ‘OK, I’d love to do that.'”

Nergal also discussed the future of BEHEMOTH: “I’m inspired, and I’m going to surprise you – we’re already making new music. It’s never been that way. For some reason, I’m just… first of all, there’s some unreleased music from [the latest album, I Loved You at Your Darkest] sessions.

“I’m proud of the songs; we just need to find the right place, the right time, the right occasion to release them. It’s happening eventually. We start jamming and demoing later this year, and in the meantime, I’m putting the final touches to the second ME & THAT MAN album as well.

“There’s work on several levels simultaneously. I’m very creative and very productive lately. ME & THAT MAN is going to be the first half of 2020, and BEHEMOTH is going to be 2021, 100%. I Loved You at Your Darkest is still a very fresh record, but when I get back to that, I’m, like… [sighs]

“You need time to process that if you really want to match that quality, and eventually overcome that and deliver quality that is different to that so you’re not really copying yourself. You’re delivering something that is fresh, and every time, it’s a higher and higher challenge.

“I think that’s the main reason why I’m around, because if it stopped being a challenge and we can just, ‘Oh, let’s just cash.’ I’m not just trying to be nice saying that, but it really feels good.

“For all those kids today when we played, there’s a chunk of the audience that is probably familiar with what we do, but I bet that, like, two-thirds maybe never heard of us. That is the most exciting moments in our career.

“You have 11 records and countless tours and almost a 30-year career going, and there’s still people who don’t know you. That’s the point – to convert these kids, to push and don’t get too spoiled. It’s good to be a newcomer. It’s good to be first on the bill. It’s a good experience.”

https://soundcloud.com/radioactivemikez/behemoth-nergal-at-knotfest-7-27-19-podcast